Poems from the First World War
Poems from the First World War, selected by Gaby Morgan
Blurb:Poems from the First World War is a moving and powerful collection of poems written by soldiers, nurses, mothers, sweethearts and family and friends who experienced the war from different standpoints. It records the early excitement and patriotism, the bravery, friendship and loyalty of the soldiers, and heartbreak, disillusionment and regret as the war went on to damage a generation. It includes poems from Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke, Vera Brittain, Eleanor Farjeon, Edward Thomas, Laurence Binyon, John McCrae, Siegfried Sassoon and many more. The Imperial War Museum was founded in 1917 to collect and display material relating to the ‘Great War’, which was still being fought. Today IWM is unique in its coverage of conflicts, especially those involving Britain and the Commonwealth, from the First World War to the present. They seek to provide for, and to encourage, the study and understanding of the history of modern war and wartime experience. My ReviewI'll admit, I'm really fussy when it comes to poetry and this book had some that I really loved and some that I didn't at all. I have to say I was very impressed with the scope of emotions and viewpoints represented in this little collection. It shows the pride of serving your country, the fear and sadness of losing loved ones, the pain of war, disillusionment and, what I found especially interesting, the class divides.Some of the poets I'd heard of before, such as Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, Rudyard Kipling and Vera Brittain, other I'd never heard of before but really enjoyed. My favourite poems were 'Many Sisters to Many Brothers', 'In Memoriam' and 'Elegy in a Country Churchyard'. Definitely a good collection to dip in and out of; so many of these poems are heart breaking in what they portray and the feelings they show. 
My favourite quotes from 'Poems from the First World War':'Press we to the field ungrieving,In our heart of hearts believing Victory crowns the just.''Whate'er was dear before is dearer now.''They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.' 'The Victory is ours because you died...''God makes a man of flesh and boneWho yearns to live and not to die.''And the singers are the chapsWho are going to die perhaps.''We shall never shake the world together, you and I,For you gave your life away;And I think my heart was broken by the war,''Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh' 'You are too young to fall asleep for ever; And when you sleep you remind me of the dead.' 'Those that I fight I do not hate,Those that I guard I do not love;' '... and War's a bloody game...'
Blurb:Poems from the First World War is a moving and powerful collection of poems written by soldiers, nurses, mothers, sweethearts and family and friends who experienced the war from different standpoints. It records the early excitement and patriotism, the bravery, friendship and loyalty of the soldiers, and heartbreak, disillusionment and regret as the war went on to damage a generation. It includes poems from Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke, Vera Brittain, Eleanor Farjeon, Edward Thomas, Laurence Binyon, John McCrae, Siegfried Sassoon and many more. The Imperial War Museum was founded in 1917 to collect and display material relating to the ‘Great War’, which was still being fought. Today IWM is unique in its coverage of conflicts, especially those involving Britain and the Commonwealth, from the First World War to the present. They seek to provide for, and to encourage, the study and understanding of the history of modern war and wartime experience. My ReviewI'll admit, I'm really fussy when it comes to poetry and this book had some that I really loved and some that I didn't at all. I have to say I was very impressed with the scope of emotions and viewpoints represented in this little collection. It shows the pride of serving your country, the fear and sadness of losing loved ones, the pain of war, disillusionment and, what I found especially interesting, the class divides.Some of the poets I'd heard of before, such as Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, Rudyard Kipling and Vera Brittain, other I'd never heard of before but really enjoyed. My favourite poems were 'Many Sisters to Many Brothers', 'In Memoriam' and 'Elegy in a Country Churchyard'. Definitely a good collection to dip in and out of; so many of these poems are heart breaking in what they portray and the feelings they show. My favourite quotes from 'Poems from the First World War':'Press we to the field ungrieving,In our heart of hearts believing Victory crowns the just.''Whate'er was dear before is dearer now.''They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.' 'The Victory is ours because you died...''God makes a man of flesh and boneWho yearns to live and not to die.''And the singers are the chapsWho are going to die perhaps.''We shall never shake the world together, you and I,For you gave your life away;And I think my heart was broken by the war,''Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh' 'You are too young to fall asleep for ever; And when you sleep you remind me of the dead.' 'Those that I fight I do not hate,Those that I guard I do not love;' '... and War's a bloody game...'
No comments have been added yet.
